Lamp-chimney holder.



'PATENTBD SEPT. 15, 1.903. A. L. HIGGINS. LAMP CHIMNEY HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented September 15, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

LAM P-CHlMN E Y HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,999, dated September 15, 1903.

Application filed July 21, 1902. Serial No. 116,475; (No model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, ALBERT LORING HIG' GINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State form of friction holding device for applica tion to the spring-arms usually employed for holding the chimney in position on the burner.

A further object of theinvention is to providea compressible friction-block which may be inserted in a suitably shaped opening formed in the arm and retainedin place by its inherent expansive tendency, the frictionblock beingof an original area greater than that of the opening in which it is inserted and being compressed and forced into said opening, and there retained by contact with the walls of the opening.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which that portion engaged by the'chimney shall extend beyond the plane of the body of the I block to permit free yielding movement without actual compression of the material of which the block is formed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described,

illustrated in the accompanying drawings, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partially in section, of a lamp-burner provided with a chimney-holder constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the same on a somewhat largerscale. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of the friction-block detached from the spring-holding arm. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the employment of an auxiliary fastening-plate for the friction-block. the same. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of a holding-arm, illustrating a slightly-modified construction of block. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view illustrating a further modification. Fig. Sis a sectional elevation showing another form of friction-block provided in which the Fig. 5 is an'elevation of this instance with threads to assist in holding it in position. Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of a holding-arm providedwith an aux iliary chimney-engaging spring, said spring supporting the friction-block. Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of the auxiliaryspring shown in Fig. 9, two frictiou-block-receiving openings being shown. Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation of a chimney-holding arm, showing a friction-block supported in position by an auxiliary clamp. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the same. Fig. 13 is a sectional elevation of a chimney-holding arm, illustrating a further modification of the invention. is a detail perspective view of the frictionblock shown in Fig. 13.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the; drawings.

The lamp-burner 1 is of any ordinary type and provided with spring clamping-arms 2, which move outwardly as the chimney is inserted in position and serve to clamp and hold the chimney in proper position on the burner. In each of the spring-arms is formed an opening 3 of an area somewhat less than the crosssectional area of that portion ofv the frictionblock which it is designed to receive.

The preferred form of friction-block is that best shown in Fig. 3, wherein et designates the head adapted for contact with the outer face of the clamping arm, and 5 a depending tongue adapted for contact with the outer surface of the chimney. Between the head and tongue is an intervening portion 6 of somewhat smaller area, but of a size somewhat greater than the area of the opening 3, so that when the block is compressed and inserted in said opening it will be firmly held in position and cannot be accidentally dislodged by frictional contact with'the chimney. The friction-block when constructed in this manner is arranged on a curved portion of the spring clamping-arm, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the arrangement being such that comparatively little direct pressure is exerted on the body of the block, the tongue yielding in the direction of the arm and serving by its resiliency to retain the chimney in position. In some classes of work where it is desired to exert considerable friction on the chimney, as in the case of railway or binnacle lamps, the strain exerted on the friction-block may be partly resisted by means of an auxiliary clamping-plate 7, arranged in contact with the head 4 of the block and having its edges bent in such manner as to embrace the opposite edges of the spring clamping-arm, and thus positively prevent displacing on the block.

As a modification of the invention I may dispense with the depending tongue and construct the friction-block in the form of a button 8, having an enlarged head at each end formed by compressing the central portion of the button by the contracted wall of the opening 3, into which said button is inserted. This construction is illustrated in Fig. 6. As a further modification the external head may in some cases be dispensed with and the rear portion of the block contracted and forced into the receiving-opening in the holdingarm, as illustrated in Fig. 7.

Fig. 8 illustrates a slight modification of the structure shown in Fig. 6. In this instance the walls of the block-receiving openings are threaded and each block is screwed into place in its receiving-opening, the intermediate portion of the block being contracted and fitting closely in the internal threads, to thereby assist in more firmly holding the friction-block in position.

In some instances the friction-blocks may be carried by auxiliary arms secured to the main clampingarms, a construction of this character being shown in Figs. 9 and 10, wherein 1O designates an auxiliary arm formed of spring metal and having a widened upper portion 1.1, bent to encircle the main clamping-arm 2. The auxiliary arm is provided at its lower end with an opening for the reception of a friction-block 12, which may be of the character illustrated in any of the figures of the drawings. For the purpose of securely holding a chimney in place I may form an additional opening 14 in the upper portion of the auxiliary arm and place therein a second friction-block 12, the rear end of the latter being confined in place be-.

tween the main and auxiliary arms, as illustrated in Fig. 9. The construction illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 may be further modified by dispensing with the pendent spring portion of the auxiliary arm and employing,

the upper clamp member only, as shown at 11 in Figs. 11 and 12. In this instance the clamp serves to confine the block in position and may be employed where exceptional frictional strain is desired on chimneys of lamps which are carried on railway-trains or other moving vehicles. When a clamp of this or other character is employed, there is some danger of the lower edge of the chimney catching the upper face of the clamp, and to avoid this the clamp is preferably provided with an upper rounded portion, as illustrated at 15 in Fig. 12, to permit the free entering movement of the chimney.

The clamping-arm 2" (shown in Fig. 13) is provided with an elongated opening for the passage of a block 17 of a shape somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. 3. In this case. however, the inner head 17 of the block is of somewhat greater width than usual, and the body of the block immediately in advance of the widened portion is contracted when forced into position in the opening in the arm, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 14. In forming the opening in the arm 2 all of the metal is not removed, a portion being bent back to form tongues 18, which engage the rear surface of the head 17, and thus retain the friction-block in proper position.

In all cases the principal aim is to provide a chimney -clamping arm with a frictionblock which may be formed of rubber or other suitable material and held in operative position by its inherent expansive tendency, the auxiliary clamping or holding devices being required only in cases where exceptional friction is necessary to retain the chimney in place.

While the construction herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, is the preferred form of the device, it is obvious that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination with a chimney-clamping arm having an opening, of a compressible friction-block confined within said opening and having a pendent elastic tongue for contact with the chimney.

2. The combination with a chimney-clamping arm having an opening, of acompressible friction-block confined within the opening by its inherent expansive tendency, the inner end of said block being provided with an integral tongue arranged in a plane below the body of the block.

3. The combination with a chimney-clamping arm having an opening, of a compressible friction-block extending through said opening, and auxiliary clamping means extending over and holding the rear portion of said block against the outer face of the arm.

4. The combination with a chimney-clamping arm having an opening, of a frictionvblock extending through the opening and an auxiliary block-holding clamp adapted to embrace the edges of the clamping-arm.

5. The combination with a lamp-burner, of a chimney-engaging element having an opening, a friction block disposed in the opening, and auxiliary means in engagement with the rear surface of the block for confining the same in position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT LORING HIGGINS.

Witnesses:

CHAS. PAINE, S. F. COLLINS. 

